Humor can help you connect with other people and allows you to make an unpleasant situation a little more bearable. While you may think that being funny takes a lot of effort, it's not impossible if you can get in touch with your innate sense of humor. Even if you don't think you're a funny person, there are things you can do to stimulate your own smile and that of others.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Developing a Sense of Humor
Step 1. Learn a little about what makes you laugh
Laughter is an unconscious process. While it is possible to keep from laughing - but not always - it is very difficult to laugh on command, and often the result is obviously forced. Fortunately, laughing is very contagious (we are about 30 times more likely to do it, in the presence of other people) and, in a social context, it is easy to be influenced by others.
Studies have found three things that make us laugh the most: a sense of superiority over someone else who is behaving "more stupidly" than us; a difference between our expectation and the actual result; feel relief from an anxiety state
Step 2. Learn to laugh in funny or boring circumstances
Know that the less fun a place is, the easier it becomes to add the humorous element to surprise. It's easier to get people to laugh at work than in a stand-up comedy.
It is for this reason that "The office", the NBC show, is set in an office; it's about leveraging on how boring it is, and in that office they sell paper… which makes it the quintessential boredom. We're not used to thinking of an office as a fun place, so when something actually fun happens, it becomes even more fun
Step 3. Learn to like puns
It is typical of comedy to play on the linguistic confusion that occurs when there is a gap between the words we use and the meanings we attribute to them.
- A typical linguistic error is given by the Freudian slip, often of a sexual nature: we say what we are really thinking rather than what we had chosen to affirm.
- The wittiest puns are more reasoned.
Step 4. Appreciate the irony
Despite being widely used in comedy, it is often misunderstood. Irony arises when there is a gap between the expectation of something (affirmation, situation or image) and the actual experience that is lived.
- An example of how irony is used is this line from comedian Jackie Mason: "My grandfather always said, 'Don't think about money, think about health.' One day, while I was thinking about my health, someone stole my money.. It was my grandfather."
- This joke breaks one of our basic expectations: grandparents are nice, kind and would never hurt us, and furthermore, their advice should always be sincere. The joke is funny because instead it introduces us to a grandfather who is quite the opposite of what we would expect.
Step 5. Believe in your innate sense of humor
The ability to be funny is unique and represents our way of looking at the world. But humor is part of us: babies laugh from the fourth month of age and in kindergarten they are already able to make jokes to entertain themselves and others.
Part 2 of 3: Developing a Fun Personality
Step 1. Take yourself less seriously
Remember the most embarrassing moments of your life, when you refused to make changes and when communication errors played a fundamental part, perhaps the time when you tried to make your friends laugh by failing miserably. These things can be really nice.
Telling others about awkward moments in your life is a great way to make them laugh. Think of the words of the famous comedian and improviser Colin Mochrie: "He had the kind of face that only a mother could love, if she were blind in one eye and the other was covered with a veil … but, he was my identical twin"
Step 2. Put yourself in the center of attention
Make self-deprecating jokes rather than joking at the expense of others. People will be more likely to laugh. Think back to Rodney Dangerfield's line: "I go to the psychiatrist and he says, 'You're crazy.' I tell him I want to get a second opinion and he adds, 'OK, you're ugly too!'"
- Redd Foxx, speaking of his devotion to alcohol and drugs: "I'm sorry for people who don't drink or do drugs. One day he will be dying in a hospital bed without even knowing why."
- We conclude with a quote from Henry Youngman: "At birth I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother."
Step 3. Know your audience
Each person laughs for different reasons. Some for sensationalism, others for satire. Listen to your audience and find out what jokes and anecdotes they might find funny. Get your jokes to encompass a variety of categories of humor and emotion all together.
- Not everyone has had the feeling of riding a helicopter or being a millionaire or having a baby, but most people know what it's like to go fast, fantasize about money, and deeply love another person. Make your jokes insist on common but human and profound emotions.
- When you're in a group of people you don't know, pay attention to the topics they talk about and what makes them laugh. The better you know a person, the easier it will be to make them laugh.
Step 4. Confuse your mind
It is simply a matter of surprising. This is what happens when a difference is made between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Verbal jokes make the most of this misconception, trying to divert attention in the same way that magic tricks do.
- An example in English: "What happens to liars when they die?" - "They lie still". Translation to the question: "What happens to liars when they die?" it is ambivalent, as it is based on the word "lie" which in English means "lie", but also "to lie down". So by translating the phrase "What happens to liars when they die?", The answer can be interpreted in two ways: "They keep telling lies" or "They lie still".
- Think Groucho Marx's line "Outside the dog, the book is man's best friend. Inside the dog, it's too dark to read" or Rodney Dangerfield's "I found my wife the other night. on the doorstep dressed in a sexy way. Unfortunately she had just come home ".
Step 5. Strike the iron while it is hot
Timing is important because if you think too much about the situation or the joke, the fun time will pass. This is probably why the jokes already heard are not so hilarious: the brain has already lived through the experience and the surprise effect is lacking. React quickly.
- Quick or backstrokes can be a lot of fun. For example: a person says a sentence that is not funny in itself, but you immediately respond with a joke. Timing is crucial, so you'll need to intervene immediately in a fun way. For example, your friend is thinking about hair for some reason and says, "Isn't it weird that we only have hair on our heads and in the pubic area?" In fact, he doesn't even expect an answer from you. But you might quickly reply "Speak for yourself!".
- If the time isn't right or you've missed the opportunity, don't make jokes. But don't worry, sooner or later you will have your chance.
Step 6. Know when to be funny
Avoid jokes at funerals and weddings, in places of worship, and whenever your humor could be mistaken for harassment or discrimination, especially when it could harm someone physically.
Step 7. Pay attention
Jerry Seinfeld and other comedians have made millions of dollars with an essential style of comedy known as "observational" humor, which is based on everyday experiences. It is very difficult to "see". While knowing a lot can increase one's humor, being able to "see" a lot has no substitute. In fact, not everyone is capable of having both abilities. Find humor in everyday situations, and try to see what others can't.
Step 8. Memorize some puns, like Dorothy Parker's
Puns require wit and promptness. Study others to inspire you. Think Calvin Coolidge; a woman asked him: "Mr. Coolidge, I bet with a friend that it is impossible to get more than two words from you." Coolidge replied, "You lost."
Part 3 of 3: Maintain Inspiration
Step 1. Learn from funny people, whether they are professional comedians, your parents, your kids or your boss
Take note of what they do and find out what you admire most about them, so you will improve your sense of humor and develop new tools to make people laugh.
Comedy has stormed the podcast world in recent years. Podcast tracks from American comedians like Marc Maron and Joe Rogan are available for free online, as are stories, jokes and hilarious interviews for upload to mobile devices. It's a lot of fun to get out of town listening to these podcasts on headphones
Step 2. Watch funny TV shows
If you speak another language, identify the cultural differences between countries when it comes to comedy. For example, the British have a very dry and witty sense of humor, which mainly affects cultural issues, while the Americans use a more physical comedy that often involves gender and race issues. By learning about both, you will be able to understand the different cultural attitudes towards humor.
Follow the improvisers. All good comedians know how to improvise. Go to different shows to understand how you can make people laugh starting from scratch, using unfamiliar scenarios and turning them on the spot into something fun
Step 3. Expand your knowledge of jokes
It's easier to spot funny moments in topics you know well - your attitudes in the workplace, your extraordinary knowledge of 17th century poetry, your familiarity with fishing jokes that went wrong, etc. However, stay in tune with the audience. It means, for example, that your ability to deconstruct a 17th-century poem may not even amuse those unfamiliar with that subject.
- Broaden your horizons by connecting with any type of audience. Making an interesting parallel between two admittedly different subjects can be a lot of fun, if done right.
- Work on your culture and your intelligence. In a way, being funny is a way of showing that you are smarter than average and that you notice humorous undertones that others don't understand. Comedians often refer to topics that are not understandable to everyone.
Step 4. Read, read, read
Go for whatever is fun and consume greedily. You will become a more fun person by reading and practicing jokes, just as chemists become by reading and studying chemistry.
- Read! There are so many excellent writers of funny literature. Among others, get the books by James Thurber, P. G. Wodehouse, Stephen Fry, Kaz Cooke, Sarah Silverman, Woody Allen, Bill Bryson, Bill Watterson, Douglas Adams, Giobbe Covatta, Daniele Luttazzi, etc. Don't forget children's books made by good authors - they can be a surprising source of humor!
- Read joke books and learn a few by heart. Either way, these texts will allow you to get inspired to create your own. Analyze the elements behind them and work the same way. If yours don't make you laugh, share them with your friends or, better yet, strangers to get realistic feedback.
Step 5. Be a good listener to learn better
There is nothing humbler than admitting that you can become more fun with others. By focusing more on people, you will know how to improve your sense of humor. You'll look better, enjoy the little joys in life, and be a more credible and empathetic comedian.
Advice
- Don't laugh at your jokes before others - you could make them less funny and ruin the moment. Avoid "pre-recorded laughter"!
- Hand gestures help make things more fun. Facial expressions are also very important.
- Comedy doesn't just have to be verbal - you can also include dancing or funny noises if appropriate.
- Don't just talk about the same topic, because you might get bored: vary the topics.
- If you want to react with a witty joke in front of a sentence you just said, do it now, not two hours later or your words will not have the same impact.
- Repeat the same line. You may have noticed that many comedians tell a joke and then reprimand it by saying it in a different way, usually causing more laughter the second time (separated from the first by other words). This technique should be used when it comes to particularly hilarious jokes. However, don't repeat it more than three times.
- Don't say anything that will make people angry. For example, if you joke grossly about a band that is very popular among girls, the girls might take it.
- Practice in a low-risk environment and improve your skills in front of an audience consisting of your family and friends. If you train with people you trust and get constructive feedback right from the start, you will go a long way.
- Gender has a certain influence. Men tend to tell more jokes, to prefer humor based on denigration and to laugh at "pies in the face". Women, on the other hand, have a greater predilection for stories based on humility that require female solidarity. Curiously, the roles are reversed when men and women find themselves together in a comic situation: the former tend to lower the tone, while the latter raise it and target the male world.
- Each culture has its own differences in comedy. Try to find universally funny stories.
Warnings
- Make sure you consider whether your joking environment is appropriate before you begin. Don't get too fixated on anyone in particular.
- Watch out for religious or political jokes - you might annoy someone.
